By NAN Food Editor, NewsAmericas Now
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. August 29, 2026: Jamaican immigrant and chef Newton Waite is back behind the counter at his Martha’s Vineyard restaurant after spending nearly 10 months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, as his family continues raising money for the legal battle that could still end with his deportation.
Waite, who has lived on Martha’s Vineyard for 20 years, was arrested by ICE in Massachusetts in September 2025 while he was reportedly in the process of securing permanent U.S. residency. His daughter, Oshantay Waite, said he had unknowingly missed an immigration court hearing after notification was sent to the wrong address.
During his detention, Waite was transferred through facilities in six states and eventually ended up at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in California. His family alleges he was denied adequate medical care and other basic necessities while his health deteriorated.
Waite described being confined in overcrowded rooms with as many as 70 people, sometimes without reliable access to showers or bathrooms, and sleeping on the floor. He said he suffered two “mini heart attacks” while detained in New York and received inadequate medical treatment.
His detention attracted support from the Martha’s Vineyard NAACP and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, while community members donated toward his mounting legal expenses. A federal judge in California granted Waite a writ of habeas corpus on July 9, ruling that his prolonged detention was unconstitutional. He subsequently returned to Martha’s Vineyard, where customers have been stopping by Vineyard Caribbean Cuisine not only for his red snapper and oxtail, but to welcome him home.
“I got off the boat that morning, and I bent down to kiss the ground,” Waite recalled of his return to the island.
But his immigration fight is far from over. His underlying case is now before the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and ICE continues to monitor him while requiring regular check-ins in Boston. His U.S.-citizen daughter has also filed a petition seeking to provide him a pathway to legal permanent residency.
Meanwhile, the family’s GoFundMe has raised nearly $29,000 toward a $31,000 goal to help cover legal expenses. Waite is now trying to rebuild his health, business, and life while awaiting the outcome of his case.
“I think I deserve a chance to pursue liberty and happiness,” he said. “All I do is work here, stay on the good side of the law.”
But after his experience in detention, Waite added: “It makes you feel like there’s no more American dream.”
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